ITHACA, N.Y. – For two years, Jake Kirsch mostly sat on the bench and waited, never doubting his opportunity to play would come.

On Friday night, his chance finally arrived.

The junior defender, who had played a total of 125 career minutes in two seasons with the Big Red, earned his first career start, 90 full minutes of play and a game-winning goal all in one night.

Kirsch hopes to keep hearing his name in the starting lineup against Lafayette and Buffalo this weekend as well as for the rest of the season.

“I've been given an opportunity to be a part of the starting lineup, and it's not something I take for granted,” Kirsch said. “I had to work really hard those past two years and this preseason. It's something I'm really grateful for, and I'm trying to take advantage of every minute I get.”

So far so good. Kirsch's biggest moment of the young season came 87 minutes into the Big Red's season opener at Cal State Fullerton on Friday. With the game tied at 1-1 on a Titans goal in the 83rd minute, Kirsch got in perfect position inside the penalty box, got his head under a free kick, and rammed the ball home to start the Cornell celebration.

He had not scored a goal since playing for a club team during his senior year of his school more than three years ago.

Cornell's back line last year was as consistent a group as there was in the Ivy League. Peter Chodas, Patrick Slogic, Kyle Parsons and Jake Rinow played nearly every minute for the Big Red and allowed an Ivy League-low 13 goals in 16 games. But with Parsons' graduation, a spot was open for the taking.

More than scoring goals and earning minutes, Kirsch's biggest accomplishment these first two games may have been blending in with the other established defenders. Slogic – whose multiple goals on headers last season looked an awful lot like Kirsch's – said Kirsch fits right in with the group.

“The transition was really easy,” Slogic said. “He understands the position really well, and he's a really good player. He just gelled as soon as we started to use this back four. … We were very comfortable and we understood each other really well. But I feel even more comfortable with our back four this year.”

Now, though, is hardly the time for Kirsch and any other young player on the roster to get too comfortable. The season is still in its early stages, and any spot on the field might be vulnerable. There's no guarantee that Kirsch scores more goals, stays in the starting 11 or maintains the minutes he received last weekend.

Kirsch knows that well. And he promises not to let his effort in practice slide now that he's seeing extra playing time.

“Now that I have the taste of that accomplishment and success, I'm going to work even harder to not let anyone take it away from me,” Kirsch said. “It's my junior year, and I love being part of the starting lineup. I think we've got a great team and a lot of potential to do really well this year, and I want to be a part of that as much as possible.”

MATCH INFORMATION
MATCH #3: Cornell at Lafayette
MATCH TIME: Friday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Oaks Stadium (Easton, Pa.)
SERIES RECORD: Lafayette leads 5-2-2
LAST MEETING: Teams tied 1-1 on Sept. 6, 2011
2012 RECORDS: Cornell (2-0), Lafayette (1-2)
LIVE STATS: Lafayette Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: None

MATCH #4: Cornell vs. Buffalo
MATCH TIME: Sunday, Sept. 9, 4 p.m.
MATCH SITE: Berman Field (Ithaca, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Buffalo leads 4-2-0
LAST MEETING: Buffalo won 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 16, 2007
2012 RECORDS: Cornell (2-0), Buffalo (1-2-1)*
LIVE STATS: Cornell Live Stats
LIVE Audio: Redcast

*Records accurate before games on Sept. 7

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Coming off a terrific opening weekend where it defeated opponents across the country in California, the Big Red will be looking to go 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 2007 and possibly 4-0 for the first time to start the year since 1996 with this weekend's slate. Daniel Haber is the team's leading scorer with three goals and an assist, and goaltender Rick Pflasterer has allowed just one goal in two games so far. Cornell has not lost a non-conference game since last year's season opener against Niagara.

HEAD COACH JARO ZAWISLAN
Now in his fourth year with the Big Red program, Jaro Zawislan has unquestionably put his stamp on the team. With a stifling defense and an aggressive offense, Zawislan has transformed what was a 1-15 team before his arrival into an 8-2-6 team in 2011 and a contender for the Ivy League title in 2012. Zawislan, a native of Poland, holds an 20-16-15 record during his time in Ithaca. He played soccer for four years at Clemson and then spent time professionally in the United States and Poland.

ABOUT LAFAYETTE
The Leopards, based in Easton, Pa., have a record of 1-2 to begin the season after they suffered losses to Farleigh Dickinson and Quinnipiac but defeated Cornell's Ivy League counterpart, Penn. The team has scored four goals in its three games and is led by Alec Golini's two strikes. Blake Fink and Tom McCutcheon also have a goal each. Goaltender Nathan McDonald has a goals against average of 2.00 after giving up six scores in three contests. Friday's match will be the Leopards' home opener.
Lafayette is coached by Dennis Bohn, a Columbia grad in his 12th year with the Leopards.

THE SERIES WITH LAFAYETTE
The Big Red and the Leopards have a rivalry that dates back to 1987. The teams have met nine times in their history, with Lafayette holding a 5-2-2 advantage. When the teams squared off in 2011, they left Ithaca with a 1-1 draw. Cornell's Daniel Haber scored the game-tying goal just three minutes after the Leopards struck to keep Cornell out of the loss column. Cornell's last victory over Lafayette came in the 2008 campaign and was the team's lone victory that season.

A WIN AGAINST LAFAYETTE WOULD…
Start the season with a 3-0 mark for the first time since 2007…extend Cornell's non-conference winning streak to 11 games, dating back to the 2011 season-opening loss against Niagara…mark the 19th consecutive game with a goal scored for the Big Red…be the team's first against the Leopards since 2008.

ABOUT BUFFALO
The Bulls, based on Buffalo, sit at 1-2-1 so far this season and will have played a fifth game before they head to Ithaca. The team defeated New York rival St. Bonaventure and dropped contests to Binghamton and Siena. The Bulls' lone tie was against Canisius to open the season. Richard Craven has two goals on the year to lead the team, while Maksym Kowal has the squad's other score. Goaltender Jonathan Viscosi has a 1.18 goals against average after allowing five tallies in four games.
Buffalo is headed by interim coach David Hesch, who has been with the school for 12 years.

THE SERIES WITH BUFFALO
Cornell has tangled with the Bulls six times in team history, and Buffalo leads the all-time series by a 4-2 margin. The teams have not met since 2007, when Cornell fell 2-1 in overtime. Buffalo is on a three-game winning streak in the series, and the Big Red has not defeated the Bulls since 1992.

HOME OPENERS
The Big Red has been hit or miss in home openers over the last decade, winning five contests and losing five over the last deacde. Cornell's last victory in a home opener came in 2010 against Hartwick. Cornell lost its first home game in 2011 by a 3-1 margin to Niagara.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Junior midfielder Daniel Haber had a terrific opening weekend by scoring three goals, and he was recognized by multiple outlets for his offensive debut. He was named the Ivy League's Player of the Week, College Sports Madness' Ivy League Player of the Week, and he also earned a spot on College Soccer News' National Team of the Week. Haber was twice named the Ivy League Player of the Week last season. On Wednesday, Haber was also named to Soccer America's Team of the Week, one of 11 players in the country to make that list.

NATIONAL POLLS
Cornell is receiving votes in the SoccerTimes.com national poll this week, picking up seven votes and sitting outside the top 25. The 25th-ranked teams each have 27 votes.

GOAL STREAK
The Big red is on the verge of what would be an impressive and long-standing school record. With goals in its next three games, Cornell would tie the school record of 21 consecutive contests with at least one goal. That record, set in the 1970 and 1971 seasons, has stood for more than 40 full years. The team's current streak of 18 consecutive games with a goal is the third-longest in program history. Cornell was also the only team in the country last season to score in every game.

NUMBERS GAME
Fans of Cornell men's soccer will notice some number changes on the roster this season. Most notably, junior striker Daniel Haber has switched from 29 to 10 on his jersey, transitioning into the number that signifies a top attacker in soccer. Sophomore Conor Goepel will now be wearing 38 instead of his old 24, while sophomore defender Peter Chodas will sport the number 9 instead of 26. Lastly, sophomore Matt Altebrando has taken the number 7 as his own.

ALL-IVY RETURNERS
The Big Red's roster is full of players who earned All-Ivy League status last season, most notably defender Patrick Slogic and goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer. Those two made the league's First Team, while forward Daniel Haber (second team) and midfielder Ben Williams (honorable mention) were also honored by the Ivy League at the end of 2011. Midfielder Jimmy Lannon also made the second team, but he graduated last season.

GOALTENDING GREATNESS
Rick Pflasterer was not just the Ivy League's First-Team goaltender, but he was also one of the best in the country during the 2011 campaign. His goals against average of .598 was not only tops in the Ivy League, but it was also the eighth-lowest total in the nation. His save percentage of .804 also put him 33rd in the country. Pflasterer is six shutouts shy of the school record (18) and has the third-lowest goals against average in team history. He needs just five wins this year to move into second all-time at Cornell.

HERMANN TROPHY WATCH
Patrick Slogic is getting some national recognition as well, as he has made the 2012 Hermann Trophy Watch List. The trophy is given to the nation's top soccer player every year by the Missouri Athletic Club, and Slogic was one of 42 athletes who made the initial watch list. He will find out if he makes the first cut down to 15 players in November.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
• Daniel Haber's next shot will be his 100th.
• Patrick Slogic's next point will be No. 10 for him.
• Two more wins will tie Rick Pflasterer for second in team history.
• One more shutout will put Plfasterer all alone in second in team history.

BRING IN THE YOUNG GUNS
The 2012 Cornell squad features five new players, including four freshmen and one sophomore. The freshman class includes midfielders Ben Feldman, Simba Meki and Sanath Shettigar, who will all hope to play a vital role in the center of the action in their first years. Also new to the team on defense are freshmen Skyler Erickson – a walk-on player – and sophomore Devin Morgan, who practiced with the team during the spring and will be making his first appearance on the field soon.

UP NEXT
Cornell plays its second and third home games of the season next weekend when Vermont and Wofford come to town as part of the CU Inaria Classic. Vermont will play Cornell on Friday night, while Wofford will be coming to Ithaca on Sunday afternoon.